re: Advice on building a house?

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$108/sf sounds seriously low end for Houma/Thib. Depending on whether you're on the north or south side of that area, you may fall into the higher wind zone ratings, and you may need upgraded windows, etc in order to meet code.

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I don't know man, I shooting for around $110. My brother in law's new home was basically sold around $80 (excluding lot). It's not falling down yet . So I'm just trying to find a happy medium between that and being house poor with Peruvian hardwood and imported French doors(I don't make oilfield money). 80-130+ is a big gap, I trying to find what's in between. Personally, I don't see the area supporting a lot of 350-360k houses unless it's oil money.

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Porches will run up the cost....as will large windows which might need to be storm rated. Careful planning can head off nasty surprises. I went through four different possible house plans (spec'd out down to the doorknobs) before I found one suitable for my area/budget/taste. Unless you're happy with a builder's cookie cutter french provincial lawyer-foyer square box, you're going to have to spend some time in the prep stages to get it right.

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I will try to start down this path. We have already scratched a front porch and will probably just do a recessed entry.

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I also had an eye toward resale...so I went with a single story, wider doorways, and walk-in shower. It's suitable for older/mobility challenged folks (a growing segment of the population). Best advice is not to overbuild for your area. You never know what the future holds, and the cheaper houses in a neighborhood always move...while the overbuilt languish.

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This what I'm worried about. I plan to stay in the home for a long time, but if I had to sell, who knows what shape the area will be in. A lot of new expensive (for the area) homes are being built but I'm not trying to get caught up in that.